iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Laura Sorvala ✏️

Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 21/03/2021

If drawing works like language, then it should be learned the same way: by acquiring the visual vocabulary in your environment. So, the whole idea of “learning to draw” is framed wrong. It’s not “learning to draw” it’s actually “acquiring a visual vocabulary” 11/

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Meanwhile in real life, I have this land shark at home that emerges from time to time.

A mix of grey, back and white fluff, a hairy snoot of a dog. It’s a pointy face because this specimen is a beddywhippet, a noodle horse. You can see a close up of the black nose, slightly open mouth with little teef showing. This pointy face is relaxed and sleeping.

A pointed snoot arises from a sofa, seeking something. The mouth is open slack, teeth showing just like a land shark. Perhaps there is food? Scratches? Interesting noises? Or it is simply half awake, half asleep. Who knows. It is a glorious mix of fluffy hair, grey tones and a black nose. It’s Rufus the beddywhippet.

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

First visit to Brân Cardiff last week for Belgian beers and board games. The whole place is covered in Mabinogion inspired art, plus goblins. You can pay a small fee and fill in a sort of a character sheet for the artist to paint a goblin of you onto the walls, excellent example here

A pretty but terrifying goblin is sat in a unicorn, surrounded by puppies. This is part of a wall mural of many, many goblins in Bran, a board games bar in Cardiff, Wales.

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Reposted by Laura Sorvala ✏️

Alexander Glass @alexanderglass.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

'2026 is the year of the horse.' The horse:

A person dressed in a horse skull and sheet as the mari lwyd. Unknown photographer.

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Same, sad two-headed)?) scarecrow(??), same…

A sad, stuffed scarecrow sits slumped on a wooden bench. The bench has been painted in duck egg and the ground below is covered in AstroTurf. The colours of the clothes are all faded and strangely the scarecrow is holding a (spare?) head in its lap. That head still has drawn on eyes and a cute pink ribbon keeping its hat on. The photo was taken on a cold February morning in a tacky garden centre.

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Reposted by Laura Sorvala ✏️

Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

A break from Christmas content to enjoy this capybara eating a banana. From François Froger's 'A relation of a voyage ...' (London, 1698).

17th century engraving of a capybara under a palm tree eating a banana

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

No cheating, last photo of your pet

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Reposted by Laura Sorvala ✏️

Myfanwy Tristram @myfanwytristram.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

(Draft page snapped straight from the monitor but) if you speak good/native French, Mandarin Chinese, German or Hungarian, I’d really appreciate a spell/grammar check for my Google-translated headlines. Thank you!

Sketch of an international range of newspaper headlines all saying that pro Palestine demonstrations are banned in that country.

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Just turned down a project proposal request where the organisation had defined the rate and how long it would take to do the work. Site visit, running workshops and producing a narrative illustrated trail. All this at £175/half day, 3.5 days. Creative work isn’t a fast production line!

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

Looking to visualise customer feedback? Here's an example of how I took residents' wishes for a new community facility and drew it into an inspiring visual summary. Now the client is using the illustration to guide more conversation and decision making, see how on their website: lnkd.in/e6bsjztk

A colourful illustration depicting community activities: crafts, making, cooking, exercise, walking, new parent clubs, flexible working, forest school… the image shows people of different ages, genders, ages and ethnicities. The content is based on what residents say they want to see in their community.

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

Absolute gem of a post in our local FB marketplace (I live in a small South Valleys town). Anyone wanting witch cat vibes, lemme know and I can hook you up

A photo of a garden statue representing a mix between a furry gargoyle and an evil, witchy cat. The cat’s front paws are cradling a cauldron that has symbols like pentagrams and eyes on it. But wait, that is not all! The cat has a hole in its mouth so that when you burn an incense cone inside it, the smoke comes out of its mouth. 15/10

Frontal view of said cat cauldron, showing a wisp of smoke

A screenshot of the post in our local FB marketplace. Title: MY IN-LAWS HATE ME CHRISTMAS PRESENT (yes, in all caps). The cost is £10 and description says: I have no idea how to describe this item other than my in laws hate me. It’s an incense cone burning thing that belongs in the very bowels of hell.

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Reposted by Laura Sorvala ✏️

HappyToast @happytoast.co.uk · 17/06/2025

Drawing is hell, every moment is holding your breath and fearing a single line going wrong, destroying an hour's work, while your brain screams that it's rubbish, not paying the bills and you should give up.

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

While I struggle with episodes of health issues and low energy, I fully appreciate the times I have the capacity to do stuff. Like, make a pond in the back garden, complete its pebble slope for critter friends (one can hope).

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

Been toiling away at the allotment this week, busy time! Successes and failures: Tomatoes going strong, my neighbour Ray is supplying me with rain water from his tap system, peas are flowering, planted calabrese and sweetcorn.

A mesh covered veg plot with small calabrese sprouting broccoli plants just planted in. in the foreground are tall leaves of garlic.

A close up photo of a lovely pea flower with creamy white colour and huge pea leaves behind it. You can see jute netting in the background and the plant is happily climbing along it.

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Reposted by Laura Sorvala ✏️

Merryn Thomas @merrynthomas.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

🌍 The bilingual #Intergenerational #ClimateComic Activity Book is here! Co-created with and for schools, care homes & communities in South Wales 🖍️ Packed with creative activities + free templates (incl. large format) 🎨 Illustrated by @laurasorvala.bsky.social 👉 free download www.climatecomic.co.uk

climatecomic.co.uk

Home | Climate Comic

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

Live drawing today about all things digital health and innovation for @cardiffuni.bsky.social

Photo of me in front of a big white paper ready for drawing. I’m a Middle Ages white cis woman with a blond curly bob, glasses and a teal top with white polka dots on.

Finished graphic recording showcasing different digital health projects and ideas. The image is hand illustrated with text and comic book like images of people and items

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 11/05/2025

Been busy beavering away drawing posters about research findings and service processes. After months of health issues I’ve been able to get back to the allotment again so tune away now if you don’t want to see allotment photos (who are you kidding, of course you do)

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Reposted by Laura Sorvala ✏️

ClareRed @clarered.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

An open letter to the Equality and Human Rights Commission from the Culture Sector, in solidarity with Trans, Nonbinary and Intersex communities. Sign your name here: tinyurl.com/ehrcletter Please share widely, and if you are not able to sign for your organisation, please share with someone who can

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Reposted by Laura Sorvala ✏️

frank n furter @mxfrankduffy.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

hey hello this ~fabulous~ gold crow and skull reduction lino print is now available on my website. Limited edition of *only 6* printed yesterday. "Birth (I smash your skull)". get em while they're hot! shop.frankduffy.co.uk/product/birt... #printmaking #art #witchsky #bsnm #crow

a lino print with a shiny gold background: a stylised black crow pecks into a human skull, & out of it emerges beautiful plant tendrils

close up of aforementioned print showing signature, date and texture of paper

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Reposted by Laura Sorvala ✏️

Asylum Matters @asylummatters.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

As @zoejardiniere.bsky.social says here, there's a long history of singling out ethnic groups as scapegoats for crime. These efforts are always based in lies, with nothing but racism at their heart. All these league tables will do is fuel violence and hatred. www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/dog-wh...

buff.ly

Exclusive: Ministers Accused Of 'Dog Whistle Politics' Over Plan To Publish Nationalities Of Foreign Criminals

Labour have been accused of "feeding further division, dehumanisation and prejudice in our communities".

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Reposted by Laura Sorvala ✏️

Katy Montgomerie 🦗 @katymontgomerie.com · 22/04/2025

This statement about the transphobic Supreme Court ruling by the UK's Crab Museum (yes a museum about crabs) is better than 99% of the statements I've seen on the topic www.crabmuseum.org/visit 🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Here is something you can do to take action and support trans people to exist and live peacefully like everyone else, as they should be able to:

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Want something positive to look at and learn with on this Earth Day? Go have a look at our Climate Comic Activity Pack, a free resource with printouts for all sorts of climate and sustainability related things to do: www.climatecomic.co.uk #EarthDay #ClimateChange @merrynthomas.bsky.social

A spread from an online flip book about climate change related activities. This page has two games on it: climate bingo and a climate themed snakes and ladders. The bingo sheets have illustrated icons for things like plastic, grow your own, co-housing, mending, recycling and so on. The snakes and ladders has orange and yellow squares with things like "you cut down a forest!" or "you invested in clean energy! Advance 4 squares"

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Reposted by Laura Sorvala ✏️

Woodrow Phoenix @mrphoenix.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

If you read or make comics in the UK, read the Comics Cultural Impact Collective’s report, asking DCMS for investment in comics. Tell your friends about it: thecomicsculturalimpactcollective.org/The-Power-of-Comics And add your name to the list of supporters: forms.gle/mk6iTZK9yUDV...

thecomicsculturalimpactcollective.org

The Comics Cultural Impact Collective

We believe comics have an important place in our culture, one worthy of celebration and support, and we're here to prove it.

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Reposted by Laura Sorvala ✏️

Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

So, while comics layouts do adapt the directions of writing systems, types of comics have encoded patterns beyond that of writing. This supports that comics use different visual languages with varying properties, as argued in my book The Patterns of Comics www.visuallanguagelab.com/poc

Quotes endorsing the book The Patterns of Comics

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

I have availability in May for event #illustration, #DigitalScribing and studio projects such as report visual summaries. Have a look at my work at lnkd.in/eVSB9UCv and get in touch to chat about potential events or projects! Here's a recent #GraphicRecording of mine:

A visual summary drawn live at an event about improving public funding allocation in the UK and how that could reduce geographical inequalities. The image shows metaphors such as group of people about to jump off a cliff on a paraglider (embracing risk and failure), icons for topics such as justice, reporting, government buildings, networks, tick lists.

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Reposted by Laura Sorvala ✏️

The Folklore Podcast @folklorepod.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Everyone! I've now set up the official BlueSky account for The Folklore Library & Archive - a registered charity dedicated to preserving folklore and at-risk heritage. You've seen posts here before, but now follow the proper account (please) and share it on to the world. Thank you

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Reposted by Laura Sorvala ✏️

Karis Welch @kariswelch.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Last night my 5 year old asked me if he has to drink coffee when he grows up. "No," I said, "but it helps"

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Reposted by Laura Sorvala ✏️

Sarah Clarke - Not your doll @damselindystopia.northsky.social · 28/03/2025

"We have to support genocide, starve disabled people and ruin trans kids lives to get election results." The election results:

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

Drawing live visual summary for the @openuniversity.bsky.social internal workshop about developing a research community in Wales 💡✍️ #research #university #impact #illustration #graphicrecording

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

This has been such a pleasure to work on, lots of tools to use to chat and think about climate change.

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

Finally! The pack is full of activities and ideas, great to have illustrates this and put it together with the team ✨

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Reposted by Laura Sorvala ✏️

WIRED @wired.com · 18/03/2025

They're called public records for a reason. Starting today, WIRED will *stop paywalling* articles that are primarily based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, becoming the first publication to partner with @freedom.press to offer this for our new coverage.

freedom.press

Wired is dropping paywalls for FOIA-based reporting. Others should follow

As the administration does its best to hide public records from the public, Wired magazine is stepping up to help stem the secrecy

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

And when we get real informal in Finnish, we use 'it' instead of 'she/he' to talk about a person.

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Kaisa Pankakoski, PhD @kaisapan.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

Did you know that in Finnish we only have a gender neutral pronoun hän instead of she and he? Today we celebrate equality day and Minna Canth day. Canth (1844-1897) was an equality campaigner, social activist, and author. Her messages are still very relevant today. #tasaarvonpäivä #MinnaCanth

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Ok workwise, I recently helped digitally scribe a wonderful academic project launch for Working With Dementia. They are doing great work looking at supporting people and employers to look at different options to stay in work and not having to just quit after a diagnosis.

An illustrated visual summary about the economic costs and benefits of dementia and workplaces. It mentions concerns about upholding welfare in a society and facing challenges such as ageing population and a shortage of workers.

An illustrated visual summary about work and wellbeing: how work forms a part of an employees identity so it's crucial to look at career guidance with dementia to find different paths forward.

An illustrated visual summary about inclusive workplaces. It depicts two stories: one of Maq, an Asian man who lives with dementia and had a diagnosis out of the blue. The second story is about Alice, who cares for her husband with dementia and finds getting support complicated.

An illustrated visual summary about the vision for this network on Working With Dementia. focus on education, training, and valuing older workers.

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

It's Friday, so here are some Rufus classic poses: The Prawn, The Roach (about to transform into a shark), The Sploot, and finally, The Pious Brother.

A black and grey scruffy dog is curled up with legs stretched out together, like a prawn. He is sleeping on a dark green blanket.

A black and grey scruffy dog is on his back with legs up in the air, also twisted sideways into a half moon shape. on e front leg is straight up, claiming to be gracious. Unfortunately you can also see his hairy willy and balls (sorry).

A black and grey scruffy dog is lying on the floor on his belly. he is a long boi with his back legs out to the side like a frog's, we call this splooting. Why he is splooting with his head towards the corner of my room, no one knows. He might be pensive, or sulking.

A middle aged woman with short, blond curly hair and glasses is sat outside in a garden at night. She is wrapped up in a big black kuddly and has a grey and black scruffy dog on her lap. The dog is wrapped up in its own grey blanket which makes him look like a monk, washing lady, peasant or a jedi. He looks into the camera with an air of ennui and entitlement.

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

Looking for live or other illustration work? I have some availability from April onwards. Get in touch if you have something in mind! Some recent work here from graphic recording and digital scribing to icons.

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Work trip to Basel has been great. Can’t show the work but clients are fab, started the event with play dough and had some traditional Swiss food and good rants.

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Guess where I’m staying tonight for a job tomorrow…

A dark corner of a pub with wood panelling holds space for a machine of some kind. It looks like an arcade machine, copied, sad and forgotten, using the corporate chain mascot, a soft toy chef, as the main focus, drawing in hungry children while they wait for their unlimited buffet. It is a closed off box where you pay money to get a “prize every time”. A garish neon pink light illuminates the almost empty container of prizes. How old are they? What relevance does this machine have for the future worker and their developing morals?

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

This has been such a great project to create with the researchers and participants in schools and care homes!

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

Rufus, as always, is doing his best to support my productivity

A scruffy, grey and back beddy whippet is lying on a light green sofa on top of a deep, bottle green blanket. He is on his back with all of his four legs up in the air, sleeping like a king. If you were to look closely, you would see a little teef poking out of his mouth due to sheer relaxation. His name is Rufus and he is a very sweet boy.

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Laura Sorvala ✏️ @laurasorvala.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

This is my last week of work before the holidays, hoping to be done by Thursday afternoon. Working on big rich picture sketch for Defra and sketching a logo and images for ‘Working With Dementia’, a new research project from @uniwestscotland.bsky.social

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